A’s manager Bob Melvin has no doubt
Olson entered the night in a 3-for-29 slump over his previous eight games, with his batting average plummeting to fifth lowest in the Majors at .164. Following a night in which the A’s were held to less than three runs for just the fifth time this season, Olson’s drop in the order was one of a couple of moves in a shakeup by Melvin to attempt to get the bats going.\n\n“Oly has been struggling a little bit, even though he’s walking and getting on base,” Melvin said before Tuesday’s game. “We’re just trying to move guys who are swinging the bat a little bit better right now up. These guys will be back in their spots at some point in time. But over the course of the season, you do this several times.”\n\nThe switches -- which included Robbie Grossman moving up to the No. 2 spot and moving Stephen Piscotty to the five-spot -- paid off as the A’s erupted for 10 runs on eight hits. Olson’s two-run shot came in the fourth off Rangers starter Kyle Gibson, belted 110.9 mph off the bat and traveling an estimated 453 feet, per Statcast, which qualifies as the sixth longest of his career and second longest of the season. The go-ahead blast put the A’s ahead 3-1 at the time.
“When you hit in the middle of the order and go through a slump, \\[it\\] can wear on you,” Melvin said. “You want to be that guy that contributes. Sometimes a little change of scenery can help you out a little bit. You could see he was really determined tonight.”\n\nOlson might be in a slump, but the long ball continues to be a major part of his game. The homer off Gibson was his 10th of the year, which leads the club and is tied for second most in the AL.\n\n“I don’t think it took any pressure off. I approach the at-bats the same way,” Olson said. “But I’ve been grinding and looking for some solid at-bats. I felt like I put a few together tonight.”\n\n• Jonah Heim, dad 'emotional' over callup, debut\n\nWhile Olson’s homer will get the shine, he pointed to his line-drive single in the second that provided a confidence boost one at-bat prior. That hit came on a changeup, a pitch Olson said he had been struggling to make good contact on over the past week.\n\n“I’ve been looking at video and my swing looks really close to when I’m going well,” Olson said. “It’s been tough to put my finger on exactly what it is. Today, I just wanted to be a little more free with my hands and not as tight. There was a lot of tension at the top. I came out and felt really loose.”
**Scary moment for Chapman** \nFear washed over the entire A’s dugout in the fourth inning when a pitch from Gibson sailed towards the head of